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up

By E-gl--d's conftant attendance at the tennis-courts, billiardtables, &c. he became intimately acquainted with the most noted black-legs on the town, particularly Jack Teth-on, Bob W-r, Tom H-1, Capt. O'K-y, &c. who found E-gl-d a neceffary auxiliary, as at landing a dye But E-gl-d fhone unrivalled.

The

his dispatches turned to his greateft emolument, as he would often fwear, "by J--s! there is nothing aqual to a few pigeons with a pair of difpatches." The flip, the bridge, the brief, &c. he was alfo expert at, as nature had been prolific in giving him a very large hand, and of courfe a pack of cards could be very easily concealed.

E-gl-d, with the above worthy affociates, had a confiderable fhare of the plunder of poor Clutterbuck, a clerk in the Bank of England, who not only loft his all, but robbed the Bank of an immenfe fum to pay his debts of bonour.

The late Capt. Tom Roach, of Greek memory, had, unhappily for himself, a very difagreeable breath; E-gl-d, who had always viewed the Captain as his rival with a jaundiced eye, faid to him one night at M-ly's, "By Jafus, Captain, your breath ftinks da-ably." "How can it be otherwife," replied the Captain, "when I fit near you, who are a mafs of pollution ? E-gl-d was

*A cant phrase for dice that have just fo many fpots, that are not regularly marked, but are fo numbered that the thrower cannot poffibly lofe

ment.

Mr. Blo-b-g, of Yorkshire, ufed to tell the following ftory:Being at York, in the race week, he after fupper proposed to his brother-in-law, I-c May-rd, to put ten pounds to his, and they would go to hell (the hazard table) and fport it: the propofal being acceded to, the two gentlemen fallied out, enquiring where bell was kept this year; a harp boy fharp boy (for there are few flats in York) anfwered them, "It is kept at the clerks of the minfter, in the minfter yard, next the church."

The two gentlemen, after being examined by the door-keeper, got admitted into this honourable and pious houfe; here they found about thirteen black-legs, with Capt. E-gl-d at their head; they had been playing for fome hours E-gl-d faid, and he had fuch a run of bad luck, that he must fell his horfe, and go to the big city in the basket of the York-fly;

but

me at once.

"but make up ten pounds among you," faid E-gl-d, and break Mr. Blo-b-g put down a ten pound note, and E-gl-d threw, called "7 is the main; if 7 or 11 is thrown next, the cafter wins :" but Dick made a blunder, and threw 12; the truth was, he had landed at 6, and the die he threw did not answer his hopes; it should have been a 5 to have made 11; and, though five fquares out of the fix were dotted with 5 fpots each, yet our hero had the mortification to lofe his bet; yet he, with matchless effrontery, fwore he called 6 inftead of 7; but they infifting he called 7, they at laft agreed to abide by the decifion of the majority, when thirteen honeft gemmen voted for E-gl-d, and the gentlemen were obliged to leave their property to be divided among this groupe of worthies.

(To be continued.)

THE FEAST OF WIT

A

OR,

SPORTSMAN'S HALL.

Clergyman, of Rutlandfhire, fet off to spend his parfon's week, with an old fellow-collegian, (a late well-known Vicar of Orpington, in Kent,) who would not let him difmount till he fatisfied him he had brought a fermon in his pocket he preached, and made use of this expreffion, "We view things through falfe optics." The Vicar asked his Churchwarden (who was a great hop-planter) to dine with him; and the ftranger, fpeaking of his country, (Rutland fhire,) the Churchwarden faid to him, "I reckoned, Sir, you come a pretty way off, by a word or two in your VOL. VII. No. XLI.

257

fermon; for what you call hopsticks, in your country, we call hop-poles here."

The following pleasant anecdote is related by Mr. Richardson, the painter:-" Some years fince, a very honeft gentleman came to me, and, amongst other difcourfe, with abundance of civility, invited me to his house. I have, fays he, a picture by Rubens; it is a rare good one: there is little Howard, t'other day, came to fee it, and fays it is a copy, G-d d—n him: if any one dares to say that picture is a copy, I will break his head! Pray, Mr. Richardfon, will you do me the favor to come and give me your real opinion of it?"

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faces, kindly took the trouble, whilst their heads were in the fuds, to add a limb, to complete the body corporate. Mr. A. having wickedly and maliciously laid it down as an established axiom, that teeth and taciturnity were the only requifites in a candidate, Mr. B. gravely drew the conclufion, that none was fo fit as Mr. C. for he could eat and drink, and never open his mouth.

cut

A ftory has been published, in molt of the daily papers, refpe&ting a man whofe head was off during the maffacres of September, 1792. The bead, it is faid, faftened its jaws upon the leg of the executioner, and bit it in fuch a manner as to occafion his death. Having no doubt about the authenticity of this ftory, our objection is, that it may injure the memory of St. Patrick, who only, aecording to Irish tradition, fwam across the Shannon with his head in his mouth!

the manners of those who, by induftry or inheritance, poffefs a higher rank in human life. Ambition and vanity often prompts a man to enact a part he has never Studied; he then forgets his cue, and, attempting a character above his caft, fails in the experiment, and meets with the hiffes of dif approbation-often contempt-by furrounding Spectators; thus fares it with the man who, placed in a humble fphere of life, affumes the gentleman.

Perfection is what we ought not to expect, and, fhould we look for it in human nature, I fancy the beft-conftructed telescope will not carry the fight far enough to fee that figure,-I do not pofitively fay it never will be feen on the ftage of existence-I doubt it-the mutability of man is not calculated to attain it.

Theatrical exhibitions are confidered by many as an excellent method to inculcate moral precepts, others as zealously pronounce them the fource of profaneness and debauchery: enthufiafm ever exaggerates, the optics of prejudice never fee things in its natural state.

Blefs my foul!-what a labyrinth of digreffion have I got into!-the best plan will be to extricate myfelf as foon as poffible,-by following the firft ftrait path I meet with-but my imagination abhors ftrait lines-it is always a curvetting and prancing about, difdaining to plod on ftrait forward with a mulish uniformity -every turning and winding attracts its notice, and, fhould a fresh object present itself, muft have a bit of chat, or, at least, a "bow d'ye do?"-and why not? the road of life might be made more agreeable for travelling, if cordiality and good-will did not lag fo much behind. There is a

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curfed taciturnity and referve, too habitual to the English ;-but I have got a little out of my road again.

When I firft took pen in hand, I intended only to give a few observations on a theatrical Society, held at Jacob's Well, Barbican, which the members have dignified with the appellation of "Convivial Thefpians."

I am informed, two or three of its members are writers, i. e. authors. Should I, by the prefent sketch, ftir up the fpirit of enmity, good god! who knows where the tragedy may end?-I may be attacked on one fide with bombastic blank verfe, on another goaded with the point of fatire, on another-Fortify my fides, I befeech thee, O Courage! to withftand their attacks, should they level their whole artillery at me. The great and renowned Munchaufen, of marvellous memory, has been conquered there,-if not by fuperior force of arms, by greater lies they have lately published the piece, with fome other fingularities, in a pamphlet, called the "Thespian Olio ;" from seeing which piece, I was induced to go and fee what fort of enter.. tainments were there difplayed in an evening, and, getting a little familiar with one of its members, I learnt as follows:

That the fociety meet every Thursday evening during the winter feafon. The terms of admiffion to their theatre (i. e. a large coffee-room) is seven-pence, for which you receive a pewter check of the secretary, which entitles you to fix-penny worth of what is termed the right fort. To defcribe the beautiful fcenery, commodious ftage, tragic paraphernalia, and comic wardrobe, there difplayed, would exceed the limits of this sketch. You may there

Iiz

there fee a Richard the Third, a volatile young man, equipped in a modern buckish dress, or, as the poet fays,

"A thin Jemmy in a thickset coat, "Thin with a towel round about his

throat;"

and Bolworth Field, Tent, and Royal Palace, are all brought into an antient hall.

The delegated prefident for the evening, elevated in his two-arm chair pre-eminent, fupported with a brother Thefpian on each fide, to add to his dignity, generally begins with a fong, that is, if he can fing;-if not, Mr. Somebody is begged to fing for him : three fongs being fung, Mr. Prefident mounts the ftage, difplays his cockney fied or provincial rhetoric in a style of peculiar eloquence, accompanied with action fuitable, nay fuch as you can feldom fee on theatric boards, vulgarly called Theatres-Royal: then follows, in alternate fucceffion, fong and recitation, (or fcene,) till twelve o'clock, when down drops the curtain, and leaves the stage-ftruck heroes to glory at paft plaudits, and prepare for the next night's amusement.

Having given a flight Sketch of this place of amusement, I propofe in fome future Number to fill up the picture, by delineating a few figures of fome degree of notoriety in that line, whofe merits are (as one may fay) there confined in a nutshell.

PAMPHLET.

To the EDITORS of the SPORTING MAGAZINE.

GENTLEMEN,

S you fo frequently oblige

to come, in various parts of the kingdom, I doubt not you will gladly accept an accurate and authentic statement of the sport in HYDE PARK, where the following matches and fweepstakes afforded inceffant mirth to the multitude :

On Sunday, the 7th inftant, Mr. Mafon's Artift, by Sculpture, out of Chiffel, beat Mr. Ludgate's Neceffity, by Breaftplate, out of Crupper, the length of the course, for a rump and dozen," rode by the owners, no croffing. croffing. Neither party obtaining any advantage in ftarting, and being equally matched, the whole race was run head and head, terminating in a dead heat. The riders were, however, fo much exhaufted, that it was with great difficulty they kept their feats, notwithstanding they availed themfelves of a little friendly affiftance from the mane. Great allowance was made for their performance, it being univerfally admitted they can never make it convenient to ride-only on Sundays.

Same day, Mifs Clariffa Carbuncle's smutty dun filly, by Flimfey, out of Spot, beat Mr. Draper's Don John, by Priapus, out of Coalition, from the bridge —IN, rode by the owners.

Odds

at farting, from appearances, fix to four in favour of Don John, who, going off at fcore, continued the lead with great firmness, but repeatedly pushed and hard preffed, he fwerved confiderably; after which, he perceptibly loft ground at every ftroke, and the filly beat him in at a canter, to the great gratification of Mifs Carbuncle's ambition, who fported a countenance upon the con

new

On Sunday, the 14th, the atten